Alison, you lucky little gal. You're right, the solar eclipse shot does leave a bit to be desired. However, these shots rock. If I was to make the plunge, I would opt for that body with a 400mm, if I had an extra $3000 burning a hole in my pocket. The only thing is, I heard that due to the Canon 400mm L lens having external zoom instead of internal, it made the camera more susceptible to dust ending up on the sensor.

Have fun Alison and post more photos.